Real Madrid News
Real Madrid have rejected €90 million offers for ‘untouchable’ midfielder
Real Madrid saw their midfield triumvirate of Luka Modric, Casemiro and Toni Kroos get broken this summer as the Brazilian bid goodbye to the club to join Manchester United.
While his departure will be a blow, Los Blancos have players ready to step in and take over from their former midfield general. Aurelien Tchouameni was signed this summer from AS Monaco with that particular objective.
However, in Federico Valverde, Real Madrid already have a player who can step in and replace the Brazilian. The Uruguayan has been utilised on the right flank in recent matches by Carlo Ancelotti but is primarily a midfielder who will now be expected to take over as a dressing room leader.
But, if a report from Tomas Gonzalez-Martin is to be believed, Real Madrid could possibly have lost Valverde as well this summer.
Indeed, according to the journalist, Los Blancos received offers as high as €90 million from the Premier League for Valverde. However, the reigning champions of Spain and Europe quickly rejected those proposals, claiming that the midfielder is ‘untouchable’.
The report does not mention which Premier League club made an offer for Valverde, but he has been on the radars of Liverpool in the past.
The 24-year-old has been at Real Madrid since 2016. Having broken into the first-team setup a couple of years later, he has grown into a key part of the team, racking up over 150 appearances.
Valverde signed a new contract with Real Madrid last year, prolonging his stay at the club until the summer of 2027. His release clause stands at a massive €1 billion. Given his importance and standing within the squad, an exit in the near future seems extremely unlikely.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. admits finishing problem after another frustrating night vs Elche: ‘Can’t miss that much’
Vinicius Jr.’s difficult start in front of goal continued against Elche, and the Real Madrid forward did not need anyone to tell him he had missed another chance to make the difference.
The Brazilian finished the night without a goal despite having chances to get on the scoresheet, while his teammates could only watch from the bench as opportunities went begging.
Jose Mourinho had already identified the problem before kick-off, bluntly pointing to the issue facing his forward, stating, “He’s missing the goal.”
Vini offered an equally frank assessment afterwards.
Rather than hide from another frustrating evening, he accepted responsibility on social media: “The goals will come back; I can’t miss that much…”
Two chances, no finish for Vinicius
Vinicius had two particularly clear openings against Elche, but neither produced the finish Real Madrid needed from their star forward.
The first arrived when he found himself one-on-one with the opposition goalkeeper.
Instead of finding the net, Vinicius caught the ball with the tip of his foot and sent his effort wide. Arda Guler was available during the move and called for the ball, but Vini backed himself to finish the chance.
He had another opportunity after the interval, this time following an excellent pass from Guler during a quick Real Madrid transition. Again, though, Vinicius could not find the target.
His evening ended in the 68th minute, with Mourinho deciding the Brazilian was tired and turning his attention towards Sunday’s Atletico Madrid derby.
Mourinho has a bigger decision to make
The numbers show why Vinicius’ finishing has become a talking point. He managed five shots against Elche, but only one was on target and none found the net.
After seven appearances this season, the Brazilian has scored just once, which is a striking return for a player Real Madrid rely upon to provide a major share of their attacking threat.
Ultimately, though, Real Madrid found another route to victory, with Arda Guler, Kylian Mbappe and Carlos Espi providing the goals in the 3-2 comeback.
Kofi
August 24, 2022 at 9:02 am
Good player by all standards but with all due respect not worth 90million euros.